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Your ex therapist?

I’m glad you have a second appointment. I’m sorry you’re feeling this way. You’re doing IFS aren’t you? Could you be blended with a part? It’s so hard to see that every day isn’t bad when you’re in the middle of a dark period. But you have so much future ahead of you. Healing is hard work. I’m...

You’re awesome. You say what you mean. You don’t mince words. You’re caring yet fully genuine and honest. That’s what I gather from your posts. I just left my 30s. (Moment of silence. I miss them already). And I can tell you I work with a lot of people way out of their 30s who can’t communicate...

You feel broken and hurting and exposed and vulnerable. But you have been courageous and brave, taking excruciating steps toward your healing. Which you deserve. Keep going. Keep showing up. Let your T be there to support you and help you hold your pain and hold onto hope for you. Breaking...

How long have you been in therapy? How long have you used journaling? PTSD means you can’t just “get over it.” No matter how much you want to. It doesn’t work like that. Have you read any good books to help understand how trauma is stored in our bodies? Can you explain what you mean by therapy...

My little part is totally silent. And doesn’t want to be alone when it comes to my T, but that’s it. I have a really strong attachment to her and feel safe with her. But I kept going in there and talking about flashbacks like it was nothing and then leaving and crying in my car feeling so alone...

Yes! One of my phobias is thunderstorms. Which has morphed into an insane fear of tornadoes. I’ve learned as much as possible about weather since I was a kid because I’ve always been completely terrified of thunderstorms and need to know how to read radar and watch for signs of severe weather...

@Justmehere I think what to said about not wanting to be alone is key. I’ve been going through the same thing with my T. Everything in me resists vulnerability. And for me, that means dropping the mask. showing emotion. Not making her laugh. Not responding with some sarcastic answer to her...

This is a really good point. My T is a talker. Which I ordinarily like because it takes the pressure off of me. But maybe that’s something I hide behind.

Thank you. I do understand that thanks to Peter Levine’s books. I just wonder how to stop that. How to be present in the room vs fight or flight. It doesn’t feel like fight or flight when I’m talking about it with her. It feels like the part of me that does life stays in charge and allows no...

Good questions! I have NO idea what they need. And I can’t take care of child parts. I only half believe them. I’m trying. But I used to be angry with them so I’ve made progress. Just not enough yet I guess.

Thank you for that suggestion. I tend to email her once between sessions and then we talk about it in session. I’m really open in writing so that has worked well for us. But I do edit myself and make sure it’s not too long, etc. so maybe a journal would be a better option.

My T is the first person I’ve trusted with the details of csa, and my struggle to trust myself and the internal fighting that has taken all of my mental energy for more years than I care to admit. I trust her and for three years she has been consistently attuned, validating, compassionate...

Feeling younger when triggered is totally normal!! My T is not a trauma specialist yet, but is headed in that direction, and she has taught me loads about ptsd. I’ve been able to share details with her about csa through email. I don’t know if that’s an option for you. I’ve seen mine for almost...

“Nothing happened. I just make things up and overreact”- that may be your sticking point. I’m only guessing. But I have been on that fence for 20 years, since my first memories emerged. I have gone back and forth every day of my life. I haven’t been in therapy for that long. But going into my...

I want to resurrect this thread because it’s something I’ve struggled with for about 20 years now, since the “memories” (flashes) came back. Just a few. So quick and felt so unreal. Almost three years into therapy dealing with this and I still have no idea how to trust myself. I can’t find self...

Saw this today in something I’m reading (“Cultivating Self-Compassion in Trauma Survivors” by Christopher Germer and Kristen Neff ) and it reminded me of this thread: “Childhood trauma survivors may also equate self-compassion with self-pity or self-centeredness. They may have been told as...

He should definitely get it cleaned. And maybe you could try an essential oil necklace, first at home when you feel safe and calm so the smell becomes associated with those feelings. Then to your appointments. Not to cover up the grossness but to retrain your brain if/once he gets it cleaned and...

Thank you, @ladee. Your words mean a lot to me. This process/journey feels like a lot of stumbling in the dark just hoping I’m heading in the right direction. I’m so grateful for people who understand.

I don’t know the answer. This is a very real, persistent struggle and here is how I’ve approached it lately. As a bit of a backdrop, I’m approaching year three of therapy with a T I absolutely love and trust. But I do not express emotion with her. She has talked to me about grief since our first...

I don't know where my post went. Ugh. Don't put too much energy into trying to figure out your prior T. Put your energy into your new one. Every client/T relationship is unique.

I'm in the US and both T's I've seen use a sliding scale pay rate. They have a rate they charge, and then will lower it if income can't cover it. Neither took insurance.

It’s not about changing the past. It’s about healing the effects of the trauma. My T knows that being “seen" makes me feel exposed and little me is highly triggered by feeling exposed. My T helped me learn that about myself because we've talked SO MUCH about particular childhood experiences that...

I think maybe try to have compassion for the younger attach part of you. Of course your adult self struggles to understand why it’s so hard, but that’s not the part that feels like she needs to be saved. This doesn’t have to do with being weak vs strong. Attachment issues are incredibly painful...

I never felt this way with previous therapists. Maybe it’s sonething about how your inner child perceived her ability to understand and/or help you, that you haven’t encountered in other relationships.